title: Oxidative stress negatively affects human sperm mitochondrial respiration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To correlate the level of oxidative stress in serum and seminal fluid and the level of sperm deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fragmentation with sperm mitochondrial respiratory efficiency.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sperm mitochondrial respiratory activity was evaluated with a polarographic assay of oxygen consumption carried out in hypotonically treated sperm cells. A possible relationship between sperm mitochondrial respiratory efficiency, the level of oxidative stress, and the level of sperm DNA fragmentation was investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sperm motility was positively correlated with mitochondrial respiration but negatively correlated with oxidative stress and DNA fragmentation. Interestingly, sperm mitochondrial respiratory activity was negatively affected by oxidative stress and DNA fragmentation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data indicate that sperm mitochondrial respiration is decreased in patients with high levels of reactive oxygen species by an uncoupling between electron transport and adenosine triphosphate synthesis. This reduction in mitochondrial functionality might be 1 of the reasons responsible for the decrease in spermatozoa motility.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferramosca
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pinto Provenzano
authors.forename: Daniela Domenica
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Montagna
authors.forename: Lamberto
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Coppola
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zara
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019069:Cell Respiration; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D006801:Humans; D008054:Lipid Peroxides / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000502:physiology*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology*; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D012661:Semen / Q000378:metabolism; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D008054:Lipid Peroxides; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species